suicide prevention

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Lawmaker: McCain Killed Soldier Counseling

Measure sought to provide Reserve soldiers with more help

(Newser) - Prompted by the suicide of a young soldier, a Democratic representative tried to pass legislation to get more counseling and resources to Reserve members—and he blames John McCain for quashing it. “I know for a fact, because he told me, that Sen. McCain doesn't support it,” New...

Jobless Flood Suicide Hotlines

Calls spike 18% from January to May

(Newser) - Calls to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline have spiked precipitously this year, likely indicating a surge in actual suicides. The official suicide rate always lags by several years, but the Lifeline says calls jumped 18% from January to May, reaching an all-time high of 59,500. It’s possible that’...

Hotline Priest Nods Off During Suicide Call

Suicidal Swede regains will to live through anger

(Newser) - A troubled Swedish man went from suicidal to steamed when he realized the priest at the other end of his telephoned cry for help had fallen asleep. The man called emergency services because he was feeling "psychologically unstable" and was forwarded to the priest on duty, who dozed off...

Google Doesn't Want You to Kill Yourself

Searches for suicide now bring up prevention hotline

(Newser) - If you’re scouring the Internet for tips on how to kill yourself, Google will oblige—but your search results will now come beneath a big red phone advising you to call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, and providing its phone number. It's a slight departure from Google's usual tactic...

Federal Study Tries to Derail Train Suicides

Railroad Administration looks into ways to block tracks

(Newser) - The Federal Railroad Administration is out to challenge the notion that suicide-by-train is an unfortunate but unavoidable phenomenon. The agency is four years into a study that will look into whether improved fences or other barriers could deter potential suicides, the Boston Globe reports. “When you reduce access to...

Joaquin Phoenix Cleans Up for PSA With ... Miley Cyrus

Star shaves, joins Cyrus, Liv Tyler to promote suicide prevention

(Newser) - Joaquin Phoenix has returned to the limelight, clean shaven and with a befuddling new pal: Miley Cyrus. In a PSA for a suicide-prevention group, Cyrus shares her computer skills with Phoenix—who pretends not to have a clue who she is—and a game Liv Tyler, E! reports. “A...

Suicide Rate Rising
 Suicide Rate Rising 
Nov 23, 2009 4:49 AM CST

Suicide Rate Rising

Data shows uptick in suicides during recession

(Newser) - The suicides this year of a Freddie Mac boss overwhelmed by investigations into his company and a banker whose firm lost $1.5 billion in the Madoff scandal offer two high-profile examples of a trend confirmed by recent data: the US suicide rate is rising in the wake of the...

24th Suicide Hits France Telecom

Stressed-out call center worker jumps from bridge, blames company

(Newser) - A call-center worker has become the 24th victim of what France Telecom calls a "spiral of suicides" among its employees over the last 18 months. The 51-year-old father of two jumped from a bridge onto a highway during morning rush hour in a small town in the French Alps,...

Depression Screening for All Teens Worries Parents

Task force calls for adolescent testing with focus on psychotherapy instead of drugs

(Newser) - A federal task force recommendation that all adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18 be screened for depression is causing controversy among parents and pediatricians, the Washington Post reports. Critics fear the amount of antidepressant drugs prescribed to teens will rise massively, although the Preventive Services Task Force stressed...

Lithium in Water Cuts Suicide Rate

Japanese study links trace amounts in water supply to less suicides

(Newser) - People in areas where the tap water contains lithium are less likely to kill themselves, according to a new Japanese study. The researchers found that the element—used in high doses to treat mood disorders—appeared to "significantly" reduce the suicide rate even when only tiny amounts of it...

Army Introduces New Measures to Stem Suicides

Officials to hire more therapists, boost drug and health screening

(Newser) - The army has begun a new effort to stem the rising toll of soldier suicides, hiring more mental health workers and instituting new rules for drug testing and health screening, reports AP. The number of suicides in the first three months of 2009 reached 56—after a record 140 last...

Site Reaches Out to Those Worried Sick About Money

Addresses economy-related health issues

(Newser) - A federal agency has launched an online rescue kit for people whose mental and physical health is being wrecked by economic worries, reports Reuters. The "Getting Through Tough Economic Times" website aims to help people spot the warning signs of emotional distress in themselves and others and point them...

Army Suicides in January Surpass Combat Deaths

(Newser) - As many as 24 US Army soldiers took their own lives in January, an enormous rise over previous years, the Army Times reports. The deaths of seven soldiers have been confirmed as suicides, while 17 pending cases will likely get the same designation, the AP reports. If that happens, the...

Suicide Nets Set for Golden Gate

Board approves barrier to foil jumpers at world's top suicide magnet

(Newser) - A panel has approved a plan to hang nets along the Golden Gate bridge to catch would-be suicides, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The bridge's board voted 14 to 1 in favor of installing the barrier after hearing testimony from psychiatrists, suicide prevention experts, and family members of  people who...

Docs Suffer Highest Suicide Rate

One-a-day average tops all professions

(Newser) - Depression among physicians sparks 300 to 400 suicides a year, the highest rate of any profession, Newsweek reports. While male suicides outnumber female 4 to 1 in the general population, the rate among male and female doctors is about the same. "Undiagnosed and untreated depression is the culprit here,...

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